‘I came in with a gun, I will go out with a gun.’

Buildings and posters burn bright with the vibrant yellow of the sun, the colour of the ruling party: the National Resistance Movement, the NRM (and the most used phone network: MTN). President Museveni gained power in 1986, making 2015 his 29th year as Uganda’s leader. Although many may classify this as a dictatorship (even moreso after having heard this man swear to go out as he came in: with a gun), his following is large and many argue he was democratically elected. Pick-up trucks loaded with his supporters dominate the town streets in political rallies, while loud music emanates from speakers on the eve of elections to be held in the New Year. The watchdog for Human Rights has already criticized the tear gassing of peaceful protests and campaigning for the opposing party, the ‘Forum for Democratic Change’ (FDC).

The opposing party is comprised of old National Resistance Movement members who, I’d been told, had been promised a chance to take on the presidency after Museveni had served his term. Many are disillusioned, believing their votes will not make a difference to the outcome of the election, while others stay loyal to the current president, believing others are only ‘in it for the money’. Discussions arose within the group of volunteers: is it not true that economies fare better within their first years under a dictatorship? Is our ‘Western’ way of doing things the right way? After all, Uganda suffered a great deal under Idi Amin, so who could blame them for fearing or rejecting any change to their current stability – never mind the rampant inequalities within society. Time will tell if Uganda remains under NRM governance or switches to the FDC. Stability is all the more important when the alternative is perceived as anarchy or its price is too high.